Gravity
by jackieorly
Summary: Rachel has an unhealthy addiction that she needs to get out of her system. - R/P.
1. Chapter 1

_Something always brings me back to you; it never takes too long..._

Standing in the middle of the auditorium, Rachel was wringing her hands together in a nervous fashion as she waited for him. The past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions and confusion. He would string her along and give her a false sense of hope just to push her aside like her feelings were never accounted for. It was selfish on his part. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but today was the day she was going to put a stop to this. It wasn't fair to either of them. Not to mention Quinn. She felt horrible. Never did she imagine she'd have to deal with someone's "baby momma drama", as Mercedes so eloquently described it. For a sophomore without any previous relationships, she seemed to get herself in quite a mess romantically. He was a guy she could never really have, but when they were alone together, when they sang together, he was hers. No one else could come between them. They were a force to be reckoned with. It was undeniable and she knew that Quinn sensed this. The only thing they kept a secret were their weekly "rehearsals". All for the sake of the club, right? That was the excuse Rachel would tell herself to make it seem innocent.

_No matter what I say or do, I still feel you here till the moment I'm gone..._

Her gaze fell upon his figure as he stepped into the auditorium, the silence in the room broken by the sound of the door shutting behind him. He took giant strides toward the stage until he stood before her, his hands cupping her face gingerly. Anything Rachel had planned on saying upon his arrival had left her mind completely. Now that his lips were brushing over hers, all she could do was stand there and keep from falling apart. Tears stung her bright eyes when he took a step back from her, letting go of the hold he had on her. How could he muster all these emotions in her? With just one touch or kiss, he knew she was putty in his hands. He reached out; his hand settled on her cheek once more, his thumb tracing the shape of her lips. The contour of her perfectly, heart-shaped lips; he never noticed anything so inviting until he joined Glee. How did that ever escape him?

_You hold me without touch, you keep me without chains. I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain._

Hand slipping from her face once more, she didn't dare move an inch. She didn't dare let the tears that brimmed in her eyes fall. His eyes were fixated on her and he still hadn't uttered a single word since he came in. There was an unspoken understanding in the air between them. He knew she had reached her breaking point, but she couldn't bring herself to vocalize how she felt. It was odd, since she didn't have a problem vocalizing anything she felt at any given moment. However, his mere presence silenced her. He hated doing this to her, but he knew he took her for granted. She was there at his beck and call. There were times when he didn't even have to mention it and she'd be there, waiting in the wings. It started off innocently enough with a few stolen kisses here and there. Eyes meeting each other during certain songs that spoke of what was going on between them before anyone could catch on. She could've easily left him standing there, but he knew she couldn't. His eyes bore into her more and she shifted self-consciously in the same spot.

_Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity._

"So, this is it, huh?" He finally spoke up. "You're sure?"

Rachel bit on her bottom lip as she mulled over his final question. Was she sure? Was she sure she could go back to living without feeling what it was like to be in his embrace? Those moments were so honest. Behind closed doors, he'd envelope her into his arms and she felt safe. No one could touch her. But then she'd feel remorse for Quinn, the baby. How could she be such a selfish person? Before he entered her life, everything was black and white. She knew what she wanted and nothing would stand in the way of that. Now that he was all that she ever wanted, Quinn stood in the way of that. She couldn't hold it completely against her; she certainly didn't get pregnant all by herself. He wanted nothing more to wish everyone else away so they wouldn't be in this predicament, but that was impossible. Her long, thoughtful pause gave him hope that she had changed her mind. Taking a step closer to her, she shook her head and backed away.

_Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way that I'm supposed to be..._

"I can't. _We_ can't. Not anymore. This vicious cycle has to come to an end. We have to face reality here."

She took a firm stance and held her chin up. This would be the worst time to let her feelings take over. She couldn't waiver or show weakness. At the first sign of cracking, she knew he'd swoop in like an animal after its prey. He'd have that control over her and he'd know she'd never be able to tear herself away for long. She kept her arms behind her back, her fingers nimbly playing with the fabric of her pink sweater. Pink was such a typical, girly color, but it suited her. Underneath all of that self-importance and arrogance was a teenage girl who wanted nothing but to be normal. Feel genuinely loved. Why was that so hard? Why did he have to see beyond her carefully built facade? She almost wished she was still the weird, show tune obsessed girl she was a few weeks ago. That was how she was seen in his eyes, at least. She felt tightness in her chest, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his watchful stare. A breath left her mouth once she realized she wasn't breathing at all and her lungs urged her to exhale.

_But you're onto me and all over me._

From there, her composure started to crumble. He didn't believe one word that had left her mouth and he now had his arms around her, pulling her in tightly against him. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, she shut her eyes tightly, hoping she'd wake up from this dream and that he'd be gone. He inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet aroma from her perfume. It was a mixture of light floral scents with hints of fruit. Something he couldn't never quite decipher, but it was now burned into his memory as her typical smell. It would be tied into his memories forever and he couldn't turn back. Anything remotely close to this smell would simply remind him of her and the times they had spent together. Laughing, singing, and even fighting. Sometimes the fighting was the best part because that meant they'd make up again.

"Noah..." she whispered, "Stop. Please, I'm giving you an out."

Puck didn't know how he quite ended up here. He could admit that he always felt a twinge of jealousy toward Finn. Albeit they were both fatherless, but at least he didn't have an asshole of a dad around growing up and leaving him and his mother voluntarily. Finn's father passed away. He didn't abandon him on purpose. And why did girls like Rachel or Quinn just swoon at one of his goofy ass smiles? Puck had to act like a sexist asshole to get his way, but everything just seemed to fall into Finn's lap without too much effort. Getting leads in Glee when Puck felt he was a much better singer. Hey, Finn only started playing drums because Puck wanted to play the guitar when they were ten years old. Couldn't Finn find his own interests? Getting Quinn pregnant was an accident, but when Finn was taking credit for that too, he snapped. Rachel was intentional to get back at Finn, but he ended up getting more than he bargained for. He really did care about her when all was said and done.

"No, you're giving yourself an out."

Before she could protest, she was hushed by a kiss. A very tender, slow kiss that felt like it could go on forever. Much to her disappointment, he ended the kiss abruptly.

"It was great while it lasted, Rach. You wanted an out, you got it."

He was surprised she stuck around as long as she had after the truth came to light. Now that Quinn had second thoughts about giving the baby up for adoption, he had to step up to the plate and try to be the father he never had. Sacrifices had to be made, he just hated that Rachel decided what to sacrifice for him. If nothing scared him more than being a teenage father, it was becoming involved with Rachel Berry and admitting that he had _feelings_ for the girl he doused in slushies.

**A/N: **So, I'm undecided if I want to leave this as a one-shot or continue. Feedback would be great!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Well, thanks to jjbroadway as well as all the feedback I've received, I can't leave this as a one-shot. The story will begin from when it all changed between Puck and Rachel until it meets full circle with the first chapter. And yeah, I'll stop babbling so you can get on with the story. Of course, I don't anything, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Rachel stood still as it all hit her like a ton of bricks. Well, more like a thousand dangers hitting her in the face. The brisk, icy impact of that slushie meeting her face was a feeling she had become familiar with, but not one that she had gotten used to. It was the worst feeling in the world. No, wait, it was now the third worst feeling. The first is losing a solo that she knows should be hers and second is the disappointment and hurt she experienced when Finn had so blatantly used her own feelings against her. Getting hit in the face with a slushie was now bumped down to number three on her list.

Her mouth was agape as the syrupy substance slid down her face and dripped down onto her shoes. After she got over the initial shock of the attack, she wiped her hands clean and whipped her head around to take a look at the culprit. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Noah Puckerman. It was one of his teammates, Alex something or other. He slapped five with another one of his co-drones as he sauntered down the hallway.

This had become a natural occurrence that she had accepted as a ritual. She was the sacrificial lamb of the school. It wasn't so bad when she realized that in the long run, they'd all be sorry. She was destined for bigger and better things. In fact, she visualized herself on Oprah's show in a few years, exchanging witty repartee and boasting about her wonderful Broadway career while giving insight on how she got to where she was. All those naysayers would be a great foundation to use to catapult her into even more stardom while instilling herself as America's sweetheart because of how rough she had it. It was the typical 'underdog comes out on top' story that everyone ate up every time.

While she fantasized about her acceptance speech for a Tony, Puck repeated Rachel's last name for the millionth time. Apparently, he had been standing there for a good minute before she even heard her name.

"What? What do you want? In case you haven't noticed, someone already beat you to the punch."

Puck gave her a once over with his eyes before he let out an amused puff. "Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, you're in front of my locker. Move."

"Oh," she said lamely, taking three steps to her right so he could access his locker. "Like you need to retrieve your school books, do you even go to any classes?"

"Not really, but that's beside the point. What business is it of yours anyway, Berry? It's _my_ freaking locker." Upon setting his hand on the handle of his locker, he scrunched his face when it came in contact with the remnants of the slushie that was thrown at Rachel just a moment ago. "Ah, cherry, my favorite. You know, the color suits you. Brings out the rage in your eyes," he commented as he wiped his hand clean over one of the only spots that went untouched on her sleeve by the slushie.

Rachel jerked back in reaction, not even knowing why she was still partaking in this… this… whatever it was that _this_ was called. "I don't even know why I'm still standing here; I have much better and productive things to do with my time." Turning on her heel, she was aiming to storm away in true diva form before he grabbed her shoulder to halt her.

"Berry, you talk more than you should. Here." She half expected to receive another slushie to the face which would be more realistic than what he did next. Of course, the students in the hallway had dispersed to go to their next class and they stood together alone. He made sure to peer to his left then right before he began wiping her face clean with what seemed to be a white undershirt that he had pulled out from his locker. "No sense in leaving a trail to the bathroom."

Rachel's eyes were wide with bewilderment and that right there was better than any reaction he had gotten from her by throwing a slushie. "It's clean, I promise," he stated, knowing that there were a million things going on through her head that one of them was that she didn't know where that shirt had been. Slamming his locker door shut, he hitched a smirk in satisfaction. He managed the impossible; rendering Rachel Berry speechless. "See you at Glee after school today?" It took Rachel a moment to respond 'yes' by giving him a head nod. "Yeah? Well, later, Berry." As he walked away, Rachel stayed behind. Now that he set his plan into motion, it wouldn't take long to know if she took the bait.

Meanwhile, Rachel couldn't figure out what just happened. Puck? Coming to her aid? Did she just imagine the whole thing or did that really happen? Well, the shirt was real enough. She held it in hands, staring at it like were some foreign object she'd never seen before. This would mark the moment when Rachel would start changing her mind about Noah Puckerman. There was still that suspicion that there were other motives for his sudden kindness toward her, but either way, she would get to the bottom of it. Poor Rachel didn't even know what she was in for.


	3. Chapter 3

All during Glee Club practice that same day, Rachel kept looking at Puck from the corner of her eye and each time he managed to notice, he'd shoot her one of his little smirks. 'A coy close-mouthed grin that showed only at the corners of his upturned mouth'. Rachel read in a Cosmopolitan magazine that guys that smirked like that were trying to hint that they were interested in you, but that they were too shy or insecure to put it all out there for show. Wait, what was she even thinking? Like he'd ever be interested in her. And Puck along with shy and insecure did not go in the same sentence together. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she turned to look at Finn sitting beside Quinn. His smile was earnest and aloof. He obviously wasn't paying attention to Mr. Schuester do a run through of the choreography for their new number because otherwise, she would be able to see the creases in his forehead when he'd have that look of confusion on his face. She wondered what he could possibly be thinking about. Could he be thinking about her? The last kiss they had at the bowling alley?

Finn could only think about baby names. Drizzle was shot down and Quinn insisted on giving the baby up for adoption. That didn't mean he wouldn't have children in the future that he'd have the opportunity to take care of. Flurry would be a cool name for a boy, he liked snow flurries…

Puck sat on the other end of the row, slumped back against the chair that he was sitting in. His glance would shift between Finn and Rachel. Finn wasn't thinking about his last kiss with Rachel, but that moment was definitely going through Puck's mind. How did he never notice that there was something going on there? Well, Rachel's attraction to Finn was plenty obvious, but Rachel was never one to be subtle. But Finn? Really? Especially when he was dating Quinn! Okay, so Puck may have taken his chance with Quinn when Finn wasn't paying attention to her, but look how that turned out. She ended up knocked up and Finn was stupid and naïve enough to believe her half-assed hot tub story. That pissed him off royally. It was his kid. He didn't even get a say. What if he didn't want to give the baby up? What if he wanted to take part in her life? Thinking about all of this made his blood boil.

Finn stayed beside Quinn in true Prince Charming fashion, but Puck saw past that. In his eyes, Finn was deceiving everyone. Puck was there that night when Finn took Rachel to the bowling alley. His mother was part of a female Jewish bowling league and he promised to pick her up. His mother tended to knock a few back when she'd bowl. Apparently, it helped her game. Not that he didn't care about his mother, because he truly did, but he was forced to be her designated driver on bowling night. How did she manage to make him agree? Can you say, 'Got Guilt'? That would be the best slogan for her. A Jewish mother's guilt was her most powerful weapon.

Regardless, Puck didn't count on seeing Finn there, much less accompanied by Rachel Berry. Sitting at the bar, he observed them from a safe distance to go unnoticed. All of a sudden, Rachel pretty much mauled Finn and he didn't seem to mind all that much. So much for being the devoted boyfriend that Quinn thought he was. Oh, man. This was a ticking time bomb and he couldn't wait to see the fall out. But how could Finn do that to her? For all Finn knew, she was carrying his child and he was out bowling with Berry and getting a little something extra on the side? That didn't sit well with Puck. His baby didn't deserve to be forgotten about that way.

When Puck got home that night, the wheels started turning in his head. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but when he applied himself, he was almost Machiavellian. Finn had what Puck wanted and Finn was taking it for granted. How would Finn feel if the roles were reversed? That's when his plan came into fruition. He could take Rachel. Rachel was no Quinn Fabray, but she wasn't terrible looking. If she could stop talking long enough, she might even pass for normal. Now how could he achieve such a task? Asking her out up front would garner him a big, fat no. Seducing her would prove to be a little too suspicious and although he knew he was a stud, Rachel still had eyes for Finn. Maybe a random act of kindness would lure her in and that could be the basis for his whole plan. Something very subtle, almost insignificant, but important enough to reel her in. Something that was very uncharacteristic of him. Hmm… he hadn't thrown a slushie in her face since he joined Glee. That was nice enough, but he needed more. Wait, what if he got someone else to throw it?

Everything was mapped out to the T. Puck threatened fellow teammate Alex Buchanan to toss the weapon of choice in Rachel's unsuspecting face before the fourth period bell rang. That would give him enough time to come to her aid without worrying about other people watching. On Puck's cue, Alex came around the corner and attacked Rachel when she approached the part of the hallway where Puck's locker resided. The t-shirt? A freshly laundered shirt that he grabbed from the dryer that morning. He figured if he would've given her a towel, it would've been too obvious. Planted there, waiting for him to jump at the chance to help. He gently helped wipe her face clean of the slushie with his spring meadow scented shirt and from the look on her face, his act of kindness blindsided her; just what he was going for.

"Alright guys, let's take the moves from the top," Mr. Schuester announced, the members of the club hustling to get to their feet and get in formation. Puck planted himself beside Rachel when Mr. Schuester pointed for him to stand there.

"You have to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms to her chest. Rachel had a spare change of clothes in her locker that she kept as a backup. Once she realized she was late for English, she rushed to change after Puck left. Puck would've normally said something snide, but Operation Take Finn Down was a go and he had to go against everything that came naturally to him.

Now that Finn was watching, Puck extended a hand out to Rachel for her to take. She just looked at it incredulously. Rolling his eyes, he jutted his hand further out toward her. "I washed my hands after gym today, you can take it. I won't yank your arm off or whatever."

Rachel hesitated, but accepted his hand eventually. What startled her most was when he gave her a twirl. Her feet weren't prepared, so she stumbled a bit, but Puck's free hand caught her lower back and pulled her in closer.

"Keep up, Berry. You don't want to get out danced by me, do you?"

"Excuse me?" Rachel couldn't help but scoff in response. "I'll have you know that I was the best dancer in the Little Miss Lima pageant when I was four years old that it was stated that I even gave the girls in the eight year old division a run for their money. Not to mention I could probably dance circles around you until you're too dizzy to stand."

With that, Puck let out a chuckle. Could she really be this full of herself? It was amusing though. "Feisty, calm down. Are you afraid of a challenge?"

"I perform best under pressure, but I would hardly call you a challenge."

Puck feigned a hurt expression on his face. "Ouch, Berry. I hope we're still talking about dancing." The look his eyes gave her and the wiggle of his eyebrows followed after the double meaning of his words.

Did that slight tint of red on her cheeks signify she was blushing? Finn coughed from behind them and let go of his partner for the day, Brittany, after watching the exchange between Puck and Rachel. "How about we get down to these steps guys?"

After an eventful hour, Puck lingered behind after they filed out of the choir room one by one. "Ber—Rachel," he caught himself, feeling a little more comfortable and confident in calling her by her first name, he made his way over to the piano and leaned against its side. He observed Rachel as she arranged the sheet music together.

"Yes, Puck?" Even though she did take into account that he used her first name, she on the other hand, did not feel friendly enough toward him to return the gesture. She kept her eyes focused on the sheet music.

"You were right."

Her head snapped up at those three little words. This day was just getting weirder and weirder by the moment. "I was right about what?" She asked carefully, eyeing him like he had grown a third eye on his forehead in the last thirty seconds.

"You could definitely dance circles around me. I was wondering if you could help me with this new routine after school. I talked my mom into attending our next performance and I really… well, I really want to impress her. She's not too fond of contact sports, but Glee might be something she could be proud of." Not all of that was a lie. Yes, Rachel could out dance him and out sing him any day. His mother didn't care too much for football, but she wasn't unsupportive though she did tend to prefer the arts and anything that wasn't as barbaric as football.

Rachel blinked for a moment, making sure she wasn't hallucinating like she thought she did earlier that afternoon. His words seemed genuine. Wanting to better his performance for his mother? That was… touching. "Uh…" she was apprehensive and still had her reservations, but she couldn't be one to deny someone of improving their talents. Particularly because it benefitted Glee and if they were all on the same page, they'd definitely kill at Nationals. "I accept. I will help you master your footwork and I'll throw in vocal training free of charge. No need to thank me!" Grabbing her things, she was getting ready to head out.

Puck scratched his head. Was it really that easy? He slung his backpack over his shoulder and trailed behind until he caught up to her. "Wait, vocal training? I think I sound great enough, thank you very much."

"Oh, Puck, you have so much to learn in so little time. Meet me in the auditorium after school tomorrow. If you're late, we can call this whole thing off. Have I made myself clear?"

He gave her a military salute as he walked beside her. "Sir, yes, sir!"

She shot him a look from the corner of her eye and hugged the folder that held her music to her chest. "Oh, I suppose you want your shirt back as well."

"Nah," he quickly dismissed the thought, turning and walking backwards toward the exit. "Keep it. Kind of like a souvenir. Later, Rachel."

She stopped dead in her tracks as she watched him leave, playing the day over in her head. He was gone, but his presence still lingered. The ruined shirt was wrapped up in a bag in her rollaway case, yet the memory of how clean that shirt smelled remained with her. Even when they danced, he smelled like rain during a humid, spring afternoon in Lima. It perturbed Rachel how comforting that actually was.

**A/N: **Wow, I'm just in love with tonight's episode of Glee so far. I started writing this before it came on, but still. Puck and Rachel? I'm dying. And I noticed there's so many typos in the last chapter, but I'll fix that later. This one was a little longer because I thought the last one was lacking. Hope you liked it! Feedback is always welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

One whole week had passed since Puck and Rachel had come to their arrangement. After school, in the auditorium, they worked diligently on the new number Mr. Schuester had presented to them. Rachel would wait for Puck on the bleachers on the days he had football practice and watch him on the field. There was something about his body language that changed after the first couple of one-on-ones they had. He didn't seem as tense on the football field and he had more agility than he thought possible. It kind of put a smile on Rachel's face. Not only were their lessons helping him out for Glee, but it was showing out there on the field as well. It served a dual purpose and that made Rachel beam with accomplishment. It was a win/win all around.

Now, it wasn't all perfection to begin with. They had a rough couple of days. For instance, they were down each other's throats on Tuesday afternoon. On Puck's end, he was doing his best to go against every fiber in his being. There were times that he wanted to strangle Rachel so she wouldn't reprimand him about how he forgot to do a turn or that he still couldn't hit that high B. However, he found himself picking fights with her on purpose.

"You are the worst, most impatient instructor on the face of this planet! And that's saying a whole fucking lot seeing as to how I have Coach Tanaka riding me about shit all the time." The fury on Rachel's face was inescapable, but he relished in it. The fact that he could evoke that in her felt kind of empowering.

"Hey, you're the one that signed up for this. I told you it would take lots of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. Just because you aren't man enough or capable enough to do it is not any of my concern! And you watch that mouth when you're talking to me. Although I'd prefer if you never talked to me again, I'm done here. Good luck, I bid you adieu," she said in a huff, grabbing her sweater from the piano bench and preparing to storm off the stage as only Rachel Berry knew how.

Puck let out a sigh in frustration, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched her stomp down the steps of the stage. The comment about his manhood didn't go unnoticed, but now wasn't the time to pick an even bigger fight. What was that saying again? Oh yeah… 'Pick your battles.'

"Rachel…" he called out, not budging one inch from where he stood on the stage. "Rach, come on, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please come back?" Pushing her buttons may have been his favorite pastime, but if he wanted to achieve his goal, he needed to bend a little. The funny thing was that he actually felt a pang of remorse in the pit of his stomach after the harsh words left his mouth. Rachel, however, didn't look like she was about to fold. Dropping to his knees, he clasped his hands together in pleading form.

"Damn it, Rachel! I'm really, truly sorry. I didn't mean anything I said. Could you please come back up here so we can finish for the day? You have me groveling on my knees." Did he use the word 'groveling'? Yeah, he was now using Rachel Berry words in his vocabulary. That was only day three, by the way.

Rachel came to a stop and turned slowly on her heel, the anger still evident on her face. Then her stare fell on him and he was doing this really pitiful attempt of the puppy dog face, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. The fury she felt slowly started to melt away when she realized how silly he looked. "Noah, never make that face again. It doesn't suit you. You should leave it to the pros like me." She slinked back up the steps until she rejoined him on the stage, motioning him to get up off of his knees. And yes, after a couple of days, Rachel felt compelled to return the courtesy and call him by his first name.

He stood to his feet, reaching out to grab a hold of her hands, jerking her toward him. "I'm not letting go of your hands until you say I've been forgiven." His thumbs grazed the back of her hands unconsciously. It wasn't something he actually intended to do, but after he got over the initial mental block of being this close to her, his body just reacted in response according to the situation they were in. Once he did realize what his thumbs were doing, he didn't care to stop. It seemed to be working because Rachel's hands started getting clammy and her cold, hard stare had softened considerably. She had also dropped her sweater onto the floor.

Rachel gazed up sheepishly into his eyes. They had this little glimmer of mischievousness, something that she wasn't surprised to see considering this was still Noah Puckerman. It made her wonder what was really behind hat stare. What was running through his head while he had her trapped in his strong grasp? Although she could tell there was something else behind his eyes, she welcomed whatever that was. Mostly because it was so different from the blank stare she usually received from Finn. Now that she finally remembered Finn, she tried to get out of his hold.

"I-I forgive you, Noah. You can let go now," she stammered out, wiping her palms down on her plaid patterned skirt. Did it get hotter in there or what? Something must've been wrong with the air conditioning again, that had to be it. With a half-grin, he bent down and picked up her sweater, tossing it up on the piano. At that moment, he knew he was having an effect on her.

Shaking the memories of Tuesday afternoon away, she realized football practice had wrapped up and all the players were on their way out. Finn glanced up at the bleachers to look at Rachel. The first time she had come to watch, he assumed she was there to watch him and it was kind of flattering and creepy all at once. However, when he noticed her staring at someone else past him, his ego kind of deflated when he realized it was Puck. What was going on this week? It was like he had stepped into the Twilight Zone. Quinn promptly came to take up his attention before he could come up with an answer.

Puck, on the other hand, made a beeline for the bleachers. Rachel stood from where she sat and leaned over the railing, her shiny locks cascading around her face as she peered over at Puck below. He held a hand over his eyes, shielding the sun away as he tilted his head back to see her face. It was breathtaking; the way her hair fell around her face and the backdrop of the glaring sun behind her gave her an angelic glow. A smile appeared on his lips. One that wasn't forced or planned, it didn't hold contempt or anything malicious behind it. It was actually very… honest.

"Hey, I'm going to go shower up and I'll meet you in the parking lot."

Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, we're not going to practice in the auditorium today? So, I basically waited here, in the sun, for nothing? Noah Puckerman, I swear, you are so inconsid--"

"Rachel!" He cut her off, fighting the urge to snap at her. "We're still going to practice, but just not in the auditorium."

"I don't understand. Where are we going then?"

"Don't worry about it, just go to the parking lot and stay put. Don't go anywhere else!" Puck was already jogging into the building to head to the boys' locker room before Rachel could ask anything else.


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel's head was swimming with curiosity. Obediently following his orders, Rachel grabbed her things and bounded down the steps of the bleachers and made her way outside to the parking lot. There was a part of Rachel that still kept her guard up. After all, Puck had thrown a slushie in Rachel's face almost every day since freshman year. What if he was gaining her trust to pull the mother of all slushie attacks?

Rachel turned in a circle in the middle of the parking lot, trying to stay on her toes in case the whole football team emerged from behind the stationed vehicles that remained in the lot. Out of paranoia, she inspected the whole area and poked her head around the cars to make sure no one was there.

"Rachel," Puck suppressed a belly laugh after watching her for a good three minutes, startling her completely when he called her out. She jumped and let out a girlish scream. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing!" She quickly replied, a blush of embarrassment creeping up onto her cheeks. "I just. I heard a noise and it troubled me was all." Rachel realized how silly she may have seemed just then and felt nothing but mortification. Of course, she couldn't come out and say she was scoping out the lot to see if she could foil his sneak attack. Now all she felt was guilty for thinking such things.

Puck was unconvinced, but there were more important matters at hand. "Okay, crazy ass, let's go," he directed her to follow his lead, tossing his backpack into the bed of the truck. Rachel followed behind, but still awaited the answer to her question from earlier.

"You still haven't told me where we're going. I can't get into your truck until I know you're not going to go kill me and throw me in a ditch somewhere." Her arms were crossed as she refused to get into the passenger seat when he opened the car door for her.

"Oh, you. Stop putting ideas into my head," he joked, his hand settling on the small of her back and pushing her gently toward the seat. "After such a magical week we've had, you still don't trust me? That hurts, Rachel."

More guilt washed over her and he was aware of this. If his mother taught him anything, it was how to guilt people into things.

"We're going to my house. My mom left for work and my little sister is by herself, so I need to get home. She freaks out when she's home alone." That was the actual truth, but he was going to work it to his advantage.

"Oh, well, that's actually admirable. Looking out for your little sister like that. I didn't even know you had a sister." There were lots of things she didn't know about him. Take, for example, where he lived or what kind of family life he had. Today would be a good day to finally find out. He helped her into the truck and shut the door, and then he set her things in the bed of his truck along with his backpack before getting into the driver's seat. The engine clunked and clamored, but it turned on and that's what counted.

"So," Rachel was going to attempt to have a conversation with him that didn't involve Glee or school, "how old is your sister and what's her name?"

"She's eight and her name is Emily. Do you mind if I put some music on?" Puck didn't really wait for Rachel to answer, immediately leaning forward to turn the knob on. His truck wasn't modern enough to play CDs. In fact, it still had its original tape deck. Thankfully, technology didn't completely forget about such an obsolete device and they had those tape adapters that hooked up to iPods. At one of the stop lights, Puck pulled out his iPod from his pocket and hooked it up, the automatic shuffle setting selecting a song at random. No surprise, it was a classic rock tune.

Rachel got the feeling that he wasn't in the mood to talk more than he had to. That he didn't want to share too much. She pursed her lips together, cocking her head to one side as she tried to figure him out in her head. She was guilty of putting up a front, but mostly because music was all she knew and wasn't afraid to be who she was. The front was to protect her from getting hurt. Maybe he had been hurt in the past and started to put up a front of his own.

Her eyes burned into him, causing him to glance sideways at her. "What? Do I have something stuck to my face or something?" He left one hand on the steering wheel while the other patted his right cheek.

Letting out a soft giggle, she shook her head, giving a shrug with her shoulders. "No, you don't. I've just been thinking how… odd this week has been. Sorry, odd is the only word I could find to describe it."

"At least it's a word I know," he mused, turning the corner onto a residential street. Rachel laughed again, causing him to break out into a smile. Why was it that her laugh was just one of those laughs that made you feel warm inside? It seemed to slap a grin on your face when you didn't want it to.

"I hope I'm not being overly bold here by saying that it's nice to see you smile. You know, instead of seeing a perma-scowl on your face. You even seem approachable and friendly." Rachel didn't mean to offend him in any way, shape, or form. It was an honest observation she was making. Puck shifted uncomfortably and guided the car into his driveway.

"Yeah, well, let's keep that just between us. I have a rep to protect, you know?"

Rachel made a crisscross motion over her heart to show him she'd keep it to herself. "Cross my heart. Though I don't see why it'd be a horrible thing to let people in and show them you're human. That's just me though."

Shutting the engine off, Puck paused for a moment and took it all in. Maybe his need to get back at Finn was clouding his judgment, but Rachel was an innocent bystander. Well, not completely innocent, she did, after all, kiss a guy who not only had a girlfriend, but a pregnant girlfriend at that. Regardless, maybe it wasn't too late to back out of his plan.

"Something wrong, Noah?" She put a soft hand on his shoulder out of concern, snapping him away from his thoughts.

"Nah, I'm good," he coughed, clearing his throat as he shrugged her hand off of his shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside." They both slid out of the truck, Puck helping gather her things before he led her to his doorstep. Rachel noticed the outside of his home seemed orderly and inviting. The lawn was immaculate and she took note of the rosebushes that adorned the front of the two-story home. Stepping inside, the interior matched its exterior, warm and cozy. There was a slight hint of white linen in the air that infiltrated her nostrils and she inhaled deeply, letting out a soft sigh.

"You have a lovely home," she complimented, taking the first few tentative steps further into his house. Puck dropped his belongings onto the floor of the foyer before he opened the coat closet and set his letterman jacket on a clothes hanger to put it away.

"Thanks. My mom's kind of a neat freak. Emily!" He called out, waving Rachel over to follow him. His little sister came running down the steps, hiding behind the banister as she caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar girl that stood beside him.

"Mom said to order food tonight; she's working 'til late. Who's that?" She pointed to Rachel, her other hand still gripping onto one of the wooden balusters.

Rachel waved politely with her fingers before she brought her hands behind her back. "Hi, Emily, I'm Rachel. I'm a schoolmate of Noah's."

The little girl stayed silent for a minute, Rachel glancing up at Puck. She felt awkward when his sister eyed her carefully. Puck just shrugged. "Are you a cheerleader? That Santana girl was mean. You're not mean, right?"

It took Rachel by surprise; Puck narrowed his eyes at Emily and took a few steps forward, Emily dashing up the stairs.

"Don't mind her, she's just nosy," he turned to Rachel as he held onto the railing. "Do you want some water or something before we go upstairs?"

She shook her head no and retrieved the music sheet from her case before following him up the stairs to his room. The wall that led up the staircase held various picture frames. Family gatherings, she could make one out of Puck with Mickey Mouse ears in front of the Magic Kingdom. It was so adorable; she tried not to coo out an 'awww'. He opened the door to his room, allowing Rachel to enter first.

"I'll be right back; I'm going to order dinner before we get started. Make yourself at home."

He disappeared, leaving Rachel to her own devices. Her fingertips slid over the surface of his computer desk on the other side of the room, her eyes dancing from frame to frame. Standing on her tippy toes, she grabbed onto the backing of the computer chair for balance and smiled at some of the pictures. He actually did smile more than he let on.

Puck leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching her nose around his desk for a moment. His eyes trailed up the back of her legs; taking into account how much longer they were than he thought. They were tan and her skin just looked so soft… oh, what was he doing? He snapped out of his own daze and cleared his throat, Rachel turning quickly to face the doorway.

"Sorry, I was just… anyway, let's work on that song." She felt like she got caught doing something wrong, but she couldn't help snoop around. She hadn't been in a boy's room, well, ever. Puck was someone that piqued her curiosity. How could he look so sweet in those photographs yet act like a total jerk at school?

For the next half hour, Puck fiddled on his guitar and Rachel sang to her heart's content, forgetting that the whole purpose was to help him with his own skills. He didn't really care for Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" since it was played to death on the local radio station that seemed to play the same songs every hour, but somehow, he didn't mind playing it with Rachel. She sat beside him on his bed while he strummed the tune on his guitar, taking over the scatting portion of the song, causing Rachel to laugh. It wasn't that he did it poorly, it simply sounded… perfect. She fell back onto the bed, laughing to herself. Puck stopped his playing and set it down, looking back at her.

"What? Was I _that_ bad?" He furrowed his brow and watched her until she was done with her little laughing fit.

"No, you weren't," she assured him, turning onto her side, Puck joining her and propping his head up with his hand. "I had no idea you could scat like that. It was good. You know, you're really talented, Noah. You should showcase your abilities more."

What was going on here? Was he really having a jam session with Rachel Berry in his room? Was she really lying there on her side atop of his bed? He was looking at her with this intensity, one that made her feel self-conscious. "It was fun," she commented softly, willing herself to sit up, but she couldn't move.-

Puck leaned in, his face only a few centimeters away from her. Everything else became silent; all he could hear was her breathing. Rachel's eyes slowly closed shut, instinctively inching closer, it was like she was welcoming whatever was about to happen next. Although he had second thoughts about following through with his true motives, a little make-out session couldn't hurt, could it? His lips barely grazed hers before Emily came barging into the room. Rachel shot up, looking flushed and flustered, tucking her hair behind her ears in nervous fashion.

"Emily!" Puck yelled at the younger girl, his nostrils flaring in anger. "What'd I tell you about knocking?"

"Sorry!" She scurried out of the room, hiding behind the wall on the other side and just poking her head in. "The delivery guy's here, you need to go answer."

Groaning, Puck gave Rachel and apologetic look and got up to go tend to the door, leaving Rachel alone in his room once more.

"I'm telling mom." Rachel heard Emily taunt Puck as they disappeared down the hall. Chewing on her lower lip, she rubbed the pendant of her necklace between her fingers as she replayed the last few minutes in her head. She was about to lock lips with Puck. What scared her more was the fact that Finn hadn't crossed her mind during that moment at all. What was happening to her?


	6. Chapter 6

Thank God everything happened on a Friday night and he didn't have to really face Rachel the whole weekend. They ate dinner awkwardly, with Emily asking a whole bunch of questions and interrogating Rachel like she smuggled drugs in her colon or something equally as incriminating. He ended up driving Rachel home because he wasn't about to face her fathers at his own house. Especially since he didn't want them to know where he lived. He had no choice but to bring Emily along since his mother was working late and to be quite honest, he wasn't sure how to be alone with Rachel. Soldiers had to know when to retreat and wave their little white flag in surrender and it seemed like his plan was falling apart because this nagging voice kept creeping up on him. When the fuck did he get a conscience?

Rachel looked a little crestfallen when he took her home and didn't even offer her to walk her to her door. It didn't help matters when he saw one of her fathers peer out the living room window and even though it was dark out and he was at a distance, he could see a clear look of disapproval. Puck didn't have a good track record with parents. Well, mothers loved him, but that's another story for a different day. Then as he was pulling out of her driveway, Rachel watched on until he was out of view and he could see her in his rearview mirror. Not to mention all Emily could chatter on about was Rachel and how pretty her singing voice was.

"She could sing in Disney movies. And her hair is so pretty, do you think she can come over and do my hair one day? And sing to us? Can I take Rachel to show-and-tell? I like her, Noah."

Oh, Jesus Christ. It was a good thing his mother wasn't home when he brought Rachel over because then he really wouldn't hear the end of it. A week of hanging out with Rachel Berry was turning him into… a person. Not that he wasn't a person before, but he knew what he wanted and how to get it. Things were cut and dry and everyone fit into a perfect, packaged stereotype. It was all so simple before he actually started to get to _know_ her. After all, she was a person too. Maybe if he kept his distance, she'd go back to hating him and he could go back to throwing slushies in her face. Except not that last part; that was pretty cruel now that he thought about it. Oh, _God_, she was making him _think _about things; things other than sex, women, boobs, football, MILFs, and getting even. He hadn't even truly kissed her!

Monday morning at school, he walked past her as if he didn't know her or acknowledge that she was there. Of course, he did notice that her mouth was ajar, like she was about to say something to him, but he dodged her before she could utter the words. That afternoon, he didn't meet her in the auditorium. He stood her up.

Rachel glanced at the time on her cell phone. He was a half hour late. Letting out a deep sigh, she set her phone on the piano and let her fingers dance over the keys. Did she do something wrong? Was he ashamed that he came _so close_ to kissing her? Was it her breath? Did she say something wrong at dinner? Why was she so upset that he had ignored her? It was behavior that was to be expected of him and it shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. There was a still a slushie stained shirt sitting in her room that didn't belong there, but it got her through the weekend.

When Rachel got home, she set up the camcorder on her tripod and got ready to record a new video for her MySpace. Her mouth was open, but no song came pouring out. Usually, she was bursting until she could sing all the pain away. The point of the matter was that her heart wasn't into it today. It wasn't into it on Tuesday or Wednesday either.

Puck walked past the auditorium on both days and peered into one of the window slits on the door to see if she was there. There was a solemn Rachel, playing a tune on the piano. Both times, he wanted to walk in and act like nothing happened. Both times, he walked away and figured he was doing her a favor.

Thursday, 3:30 PM. Rachel was prompt for Glee rehearsal as usual and felt a little elated when Finn smiled at her, only to have Quinn smack him in the arm to draw his attention back to her. Puck finally acknowledged her today when he glanced in her direction, but Rachel was indifferent and turned away. What bothered him the most was the fact that she was back at making googly eyes at Finn when Quinn had her back turned. They went over the new routine and Puck didn't miss a step. In fact, even Kurt made a comment about what a turnaround it was from the week prior.

"Thanks to Rachel."

Finn, along with the rest of the group, shot each other looks like Puck had said something completely out of this world while Rachel shrugged and tried her best to change the subject.

"Mr. Schue, I'd like to take this moment to commend my fellow peers on a job well done. You all were exceptional today," she applauded them and they were quick to dismiss Puck's previous comment.

That night, Rachel said goodnight to her fathers and decided it was best to turn in earlier than usual. That way, she could get an extra hour in the morning to work out on her elliptical machine before school. It'd reenergize and reinvigorate her. Pat, pat. Her head whirled around as she tried to make out where that sound was coming from. Pat, pat. This time, it was a little clearer and she followed the sound to her window. Pat, pat. Opening the window, she looked down below to find Puck there, a fistful of pebbles in his hand. One flew right past her head, landing on her dresser.

"Noah! What are you doing?" She hissed from above, holding onto the window ledge.

"I need to talk to you!" He responded in a hushed tone, but loud enough so that Rachel could hear him without her dads poking their heads out or worse… calling the cops.

"Oh, so now you want to talk? Now that there's no one around to witness it? I'll have none of it! Go home before daddy comes out with his musket!"

Now, if it were someone like Finn, they'd run scared shitless. Puck, on the other hand, tried not to double over in laughter. "A what? A musket? Isn't that what the pilgrims used to shoot turkeys for Thanksgiving? I'm supposed to be scared of a musket?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, glaring down at him. "It's an antique; he's a collector—never mind, just beat it."

"I'm not leaving until we talk. I'm coming up," he warned, grabbing a hold of the trellis on the side of the house that led up to her window.

"What? No! You're going to fall and crack your head open, Noah!" Rachel's voice was a little above a whisper now. More like a loud, frantic scream.

"Could you be any louder? Jesus. Wake up the whole fucking neighborhood, why don't you?" Puck paid her no mind and kept on climbing. He was halfway there until he heard a third voice coming from Rachel's room.

"Rachel, honey," one of her fathers cracked her bedroom door open and peered into the room. "Is everything okay? I thought I heard voices."

"No, daddy, everything's fine. Really. Just doing some vocal exercises before I go to bed."

Puck clutched onto the trellis, hoping to God that her father would go away soon before he lost his grip and fell. It was a pretty steep fall.

"Okay, pumpkin. Wait," her father now stepped into the room and darted straight to the window, leaving a panic stricken Rachel to wonder if tonight was the last she'd see of Puck for the rest of her life. Thankfully, her father just shut the window, closing the curtains for good measure. "It's chilly out; you don't want to catch a cold and lose your beautiful voice, do you? You know the neighbors won't take too kindly to you singing at this hour either, don't forget about the lawsuit."

Rachel felt a huge sense of relief when her father closed the window without noticing Puck hanging from the side of their home. "Right, the lawsuit. It completely escaped me. What was I thinking? Thanks, daddy. Okay, goodnight!" She ushered him out of her room, practically pushing him out into the hallway. Closing the door, she let out a huge breath she had been holding since her father walked in. Good thing he didn't find Puck. Oh, God, he was still out there. Running over to the window, she opened it once more, backing away so he could climb in. "Shh!" She urged him not to make any noise; he almost fell into her room with a thud.

Puck dusted off some of the leaves that had gotten stuck to him from his climb up the trellis and paused to give Rachel a look. "Lawsuit?"

"Not important," she held a hand up to keep him from asking any further questions. "Look, you're here, so talk. The sooner you wrap it up, the better. They can't find you here."

All he could do was inspect his surroundings. His very pink and bright surroundings. "Pink is your signature color, isn't it?"

"Noah!"

"Alright, okay! So, here goes." He took a deep breath and seemed like he was going to go on a long tangent, but all he huffed out was, "I'm sorry."

Rachel stood there, blinking like she was trying to speak in Morse code with her eyes. "You're… sorry? You came all the way here, climbed up my window and almost got me grounded because you're _sorry_? Honestly, Noah Puckerman, I would've just left you out there so the authorities could come take you away like the scoundrel that you truly are, but this is just unbelievable. You ignore me all week after what happened last Friday and you expect me to forgive you at the snap of your fingers? It doesn't work that way. In fact, it's fairly implausible if you think that I'm just going to accept that sorry excuse of an apolo--"

In one second, Puck cupped Rachel's face into his hands and let his lips do the rest of the talking. A week ago, he would've just kissed her to shut her up long enough so he could breathe. Now it was like he couldn't breathe unless her lips were touching his. He took it as a good sign when she didn't pull away or scream bloody murder. It lasted a good while before he needed to gasp for actual air, his forehead resting against hers. "Like I said, I'm sorry."

This wasn't like any kiss she had with Finn. It was raw, intoxicating, and soon after their lips parted, hers kept searching for his. It was like taking a hit of a drug for the very first time and she needed another. This was in the top three kisses ever. Which wasn't fair since it was actually her third, the first two being Finn. No, she didn't count Barry Gluckman after temple when she was seven. This easily beat out Finn's two kisses. Eyes popping open, she stumbled out of the haze that had taken over, pushing herself away from him.

"You can't do that. That's not fair. You completely disregarded me for a week and now you expect me to just fawn over you?"

"Rachel," he started, trying to gather all the words he wanted to express but couldn't all week. This was going to be completely unscripted and come straight from him. "I'm sorry. Not just for last Friday, but for everything. I'm sorry I ever called you a freak, I'm sorry that we teepeed your house last Halloween, I'm sorry for throwing slushies in your face… but most of all, I'm sorry I ever made you look at me the way you did when I dropped you off last Friday. I never want you to look at me like that again… all disappointed and… dejected."

"Did you just say 'dejected'?" A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He was talking more than he ever did and he used a word that admittedly wasn't huge, but it was one that she didn't even think he knew.

"Yeah, don't rub it in."

There was a long silence that made him uncomfortable, especially because she as burning a hole into his face with her gaze.

"You know," she finally spoke up, letting her arms drop to her sides, "it hurt more when you didn't talk to me than all those times you slushied me. At least then I wasn't emotionally invested. You're still kind of a jerk."

"I know and if I tried to explain how sorry I am in other words, I'd…"

"…have an aneurysm?" She finished for him, looking at him pointedly.

In all honesty, Puck had no idea what she just said. His brows furrowed in confusion and she let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

"Yeah, whatever you just said. It sounds painful enough."

Reaching out, her fingers gripped his shirt and she pulled him closer, closing the gap between them. "There's still hope for you yet, Noah." Wrapping her arms around his torso, she hugged him for the first time and surprise, the world didn't end. It was nice. His chin rested atop of her head and he could finally breathe.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that my shirt on your dresser?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long in updating! I've had a crazy week at work and I've been exhausted. I know this one is a little short, but I hope to make up for it in the next chapter.

Each time Rachel's lips came in contact with Puck's it was like an out of body experience. She didn't have much else to compare it to, but there was this sense of urgency in his kisses; like he actually _needed_ her. Not because she was helping him with Glee, not because she was helping him with school work, but because he actually depended on her. She sensed there were things well beyond Glee that were eating at him, but she was too timid to ask. Rachel Berry… timid? Surely, you jest. Her biggest fear was messing or prodding into the situation; she felt that if she did, she'd wake up with a cupful of slushie in her face and that all of this was an illusion.

Hidden behind the curtain on the stage of the auditorium, she let his hands roam up her sides, around her back, and up into her hair. This had been the routine the last few days after school or after his football practices. Rachel didn't know what this was. She had kissed Finn on two occasions and nothing really came of it. With Puck, they had kissed on numerous occasions now, but they weren't defined. Mostly upon Rachel's request of course.

The following day at school after he so gallantly scaled the lattice outside of her window, Rachel's mind was going a million miles a minute. Realization started to sink in and glimpsing around at her fellow peers, she knew that suddenly showing up on Puck's arm would hardly be deemed acceptable. He did have power of the sheep in the herd, but he only had so much pull. His mere association with Glee was detrimental to his status. He planted himself next to her locker that morning and he sort of lit up upon seeing her arrive. It pained her most when she whispered to him, "Maybe we should keep this… us… a secret for awhile," and his face quickly fell.

The look on his face hit her like a ton of bricks. Like he assumed she came up with this not-so-brilliant idea because she was ashamed of him.

"What, are you suddenly too good for me or something?" He retorted in defense, his face contorting into the scowl she knew all too well.

"No!" Her eyes glanced over his shoulder where Finn stood at his own locker with his back facing them. "Noah, I really do appreciate the gesture and while I'm immensely flattered and do value you as worthy, I'm not sure everyone else would feel the same way. How are you going to explain this to your cohorts?"

"You mean the guys? They'll feel the way I tell them to feel, what are you trying to get at?"

"I mean that you can only threaten them so much, but you know as well as I do that being seen with me will only hurt your popularity."

For a girl who was so sure of herself and her talents, she was lacking in the self-confidence department. Did Puck really contribute to this? Did the last couple of years affect her so much that she thought she was a pariah? He got what she was saying, but maybe if he had treated her differently in the past, she wouldn't feel this way about herself. Sighing, his face softened and his shoulders slumped.

"Is this what you really want?"

"Yes, Noah. It's for your own good."

So, now they snuck around in dark corners and met in secrecy. Part of him knew it was because of Finn, but he wasn't totally against this idea in the end. It was kind of a turn on to creep around with Rachel with no one being the wiser. That was what he liked about Quinn, after all. That was very short-term, though he didn't know where this was going to end up or when and if it'd come to an end. There was this guilt that was building up in his stomach and he knew he could never tell Rachel his true motives for approaching her in the first place. He wasn't stupid enough to think that honesty was always the best policy. That only happened in clichéd teen movies. He wasn't Freddie Prinze, Jr. and this wasn't She's All That. Once Rachel found out he was using her in the beginning for a vendetta, she'd hate him. The thought alone frightened him in a way that he never imagined possible.

Gasping for air, he ran his fingers through her silky locks, taking her in. Her lips were a deep tint of red, mostly from the pressure and aggressiveness of their little make-out session. She heaved in and out, breathless as she clutched onto the fabric of his letterman jacket. It was the only thing that kept her from falling; that and the hold he had on her. That afternoon, he treated her like he did before they came to this arrangement and it kind of stung her a little bit, but she asked for it. She wanted things to seem like they were before all of this so that it wouldn't raise any suspicions. Yet, after his verbal harassment in the hall, he shot her a wink when no one else was paying attention. It was almost sadistic how she wanted to push him into an empty classroom and just kiss him. What was wrong with her?

Puck felt weird about leading this double life with her behind closed doors, he almost felt like apologizing half of the time, but she didn't seem to be affected by it now since she knew it was all for show. It actually made him think she was enjoying this more than he did. She was going in for another lip lock marathon before he jerked his head back and stopped her. Her brows furrowed in confusion and she looked like someone just ran over her ferret.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he was quick to dismiss her query, holding a hand to her chin. "I was just thinking about something. What are you doing tonight?"

"Uh…" It took her a moment to rack her brain of her engagements for that evening, but she was usually brain dead after making out with him. "Dinner with my dads followed by a discussion on current events." He wanted to laugh, cackle even, but she was dead serious. He had hurt her feelings enough for one day.

"Sounds fun," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Can you get out of it? Come out with me tonight?"

Was he asking her out? "Wait, is this an official date or are you trying to rope me into babysitting Emily with you?"

A smirk appeared on his face, a mischievous one at that. It made her heart race just a bit. "A date. Unless you rather sit at home with your folks, talking about global issues and our recession."

Letting out a soft laugh, she let go of his jacket and grabbed a hold of his hands, her fingers intertwining with his. "I'll tell them I'm studying with Tina and Mercedes. You know, this would be my first official date ever. I hope you know I'm holding you to a very high standard."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Don't worry, it won't be anything cheesy like a movie or stupid like… bowling." He said it carefully to see how she'd react. He saw some sort of recognition in her eyes, like she was recalling that night with Finn, but it quickly turned into excitement and she was beaming.

"I'll be ready by 8 o'clock, park a few houses down so my dads won't see you."

That was all he needed to hear. Tonight would be the night she'd forget all about Finn.


End file.
